A slight majority of Sarawakians feel that the state is heading in the right direction, according to a poll conducted by Merdeka Centre in January.

The pollster said 55 percent of respondents felt that the state is headed in the right direction, which is considered stable compared to 56 percent in a another survey it conducted in April last year.

“Among the top three reasons for voters' positive views on the state direction included visible improvement in the state's development and infrastructure, an economy that was still perceived to be growing, and positive state leadership,” Merdeka Centre said in a statement today.

However, a significant portion (16 percent) of those who feel the state is headed in the right direction have either declined to cite the reasons why, or said they are unsure.

In comparison, 23 percent have cited development and infrastructure, 16 percent cited the improving economy, and 12 percent have cited good leadership as reasons to be optimistic about the state's future.

Meanwhile, among the 32 percent who feel that the state is headed in the wrong direction, many of them attributed this to concerns about the economy (48 percent), and the lack of development (17 percent).

The survey was conducted via fixed line and mobile phone interviews with 815 Sarawakian voters between January 20 and January 26.

Of the respondents, 27 percent are Muslim bumiputera, 38 percent are non-Muslim bumiputera, and 36 percent ethnic Chinese, which is reflective of the electoral profile of the state.

The margin of error of the survey is within 3.43 percentage points.

On the various issues affecting the state, there is satisfaction across the board on the state government's defence of religious freedom in Sarawak, with 88 percent of respondents voicing the approval.

This high level of satisfaction is found across the racial divide, as well as the urban-rural divide.

Respondents are least satisfied with the government's protection of native customary land (only 39 percent are satisfied) and in eradicating corruption in the public sector (36 percent).

When asked what issues should political parties debate about in the coming state election however, most (64 percent) respondents either declined to respond or are unsure.

Of those who did provide a response, economic issues again takes centre stage with 19 percent of respondents saying they want candidates to raise this issue.

Issues of welfare, infrastructure, high cost of living and inflation, and the lack of development take a distant second or third places on this, with only five or six percent of respondents reporting that they want to hear their candidates on each of these four issues.

The Sarawak state assembly will be dissolved on April 11, paving way for the first state election since Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem's took over the reins of power from his long-ruling predecessor Abdul Taib Mahmud in 2014.

The state election must be called in 60 days from the date of dissolution, but the date of the election is widely speculated to fall on early-May.